But you might find infographic design intimidating if you don’t have a lot of (or any) design experience. Don’t let that discourage you. If you start with infographic templates, you can create infographics in as little as 5 minutes.

Infographics are graphics that use visual elements to present information. They are often used to visualize data, step-by-step processes, timelines, research findings, organizational hierarchies, and many other types of information.

Why Use Infographics?

Infographics make complex information easy to understand. With that in mind, there are a lot of different reasons why someone would want to use infographics.

Basically, infographics are used by anyone who needs to present information visually.

How To Make An Infographic

Chapter 2

Designing an infographic might seem like a big task but it doesn’t have to be.

Here is how to make a professional-looking infographic in 5 steps.

Pick A Great Topic (That People Care About)

1. Solve a Burning Problem

2. Challenge the Status Quo

If you solve a problem that a lot of people in your audience are asking, they will be much more likely to care about your infographic.

There are two easy ways to figure out what problems your audience are facing:

If your audience is used to seeing one opinion on a topic voiced over and over again, offer a new perspective. Creating an infographic that offers a different opinion will get their attention.

3. Reframe the Question

Changing the readers' perspectives can be an effective way of getting them to care about a topic.

STEP 1

To get people to look at your infographic in the first place, you need to present a topic that people care about.

There are a few different approaches you can take to come up with infographic ideas that people will care about.

Your audience will be able to tell you their struggles.

The most straightforward way to ask them is to reach out directly to people via email or social media.

Select a group of people from your audience and ask them what they’re struggling with.

a) Ask your audience directly

You could also send out a survey to people in your audience asking questions about the problems they face.

For example, our marketing team wanted to know what visual content trends to expect in the new year. So they sent out a survey to a list of over 300 marketers asking them questions about how they use visual content.

For example, if your audience primarily consists of content marketers, odds are pretty much every topic you can think of has been covered already.

But if you look for a topic that is still relevant to content marketers but not directly within the content marketing bubble, you will probably have an easier time finding a topic that content marketers will find useful.

Collect Your Data

When it comes to research, most people will just do a quick Google search and then cherry pick data that fits their topic. While that way works, you don’t always end up with the more relevant or robust set of data.

That’s why it’s more effective to follow the question pyramid. Organizing your research into a hierarchy of questions will give your research focus.

At the top of the pyramid is the main question you are trying to answer with your infographic.

Then, in the middle of the pyramid, ask 2 - 3 supporting questions that will delve deeper into the main question.

At the bottom of the pyramid, ask some probing follow-up questions.

STEP 2

If you follow this structure when researching your topic, then every piece of information on your infographic will directly support your topic.

Once you have a topic for your infographic in mind, you can start putting together the data you want to include.

If you don’t already have the data available, you will have to collect it yourself.

Here are 7 effective strategies you can use to collect data:

1. Append the word “data” to the end of your search

By specifying that you are looking for results with data, you will be able to bypass a lot of results that don’t have what you’re looking for.

2. Append “Filetype:xls” (or xlsx, csv or pdf) to the end of your search

Specify the file type you want to search. This will get results that download data files directly to your computer, without you needing to sift through the entire web page.

3. Use image search

When you search data-centric topics, image search will often find charts and other data visualizations. Check out the sites those data visualizations come from.

There are quite a few reputable sites offering data-driven reports. These sites are often run by nonprofit or government organizations, so the information is free to access and use.

You can search for results within a site by searching the “domain: topic” in your query.

5. Use Google search within a site

Even if you’re not in school anymore, academic resources are an ideal place to source data for your infographics. You know those sources are reputable. Plus, you can search the Appendix or Reference sections of a paper or book to see where they got the information.

Here are some free sites you can use to search for academic resources:

If you have the time and resources, then it can be very valuable to conduct your own original research. After all, that will make you the primary data source!

There are a few basic ways to conduct your own research:

Conduct a survey or poll

Hire a research company

Use an automatic data collection tool (web scraping, API)

7. Conduct your own original research

Here’s an example of the questions we asked for our visual content marketing statistics study:

But you can also manually collect your own data by following these 3 steps:

Define your sample size.This guide can help you figure out how big your sample size should be.

Define what you want to measure. Look at the questions you want to answer with your research and define one measure for each question. Once you have your measure figured out, create a spreadsheet and add a column for each measure.

Manually code your data. Record the values for each measure in your spreadsheet. Depending on the data you’re collecting, this can be very time-consuming. But remember, you will be the primary source for this data, so the hard work can pay off.

We looked at over 200 different infographics on Pinterest and manually coded measures like the topic, type of infographic, dominant style, expected reaction, number of story points, font, colors used, chart types, and the ratio of length to width.

STEP 3

Choose A Goal and Visualize It

Once you have your data, it’s time to turn it into some snazzy charts!

Consider what the goal of your visual will be and choose the best type of chart to achieve that goal.

We suggest following the ICCORE method to determine whether the goal of your visual will be to:

Inform,

Compare,

Change,

Organize,

Show Relationships, or

Explore.

To apply the ICCORE method to your charts, return to your question pyramid and choose a goal for each question.

Let’s break down each goal:

You want to convey an important message or data point.

Data visualizations that combine large titles, labels, and pictograms work best for this purpose.

You want to compare multiple things or parts of whole.

Bar charts, pie charts, pictograms, and other chart that allow you to show data points side by side work well for making comparisons.

Inform

Compare

You want to show changes or trends over time and space.

Line charts, bubble charts, timelines and multi series charts depict change well because they allow you to visualize upward or downward trends.

Change

If you want to visualize spatial changes or trends, a choropleth map chart works well.

Choropleth map charts use shading/coloring to indicate average values of properties or quantities within defined areas.

To show something like a population change over time, a map chart series can effectively illustrate that data.

You want to show groups, patterns, ranks or order.

To rank data or organize data, lists, tables, and pyramid charts are ideal. But you could also use bar charts and bubble charts to rank information.

Organize

For organized groups, use charts that allow you to group data like bubble clouds, word clouds, and icon charts.

You want to reveal relationships between things.

Charts that allow you to connect and compare points work well for this goal. For example, scatter plots, line charts, word clouds, and venn diagrams.

Relationships

You want the reader to explore the data and discover insights for themselves.

Charts that allow you to isolate and drill down on different data points work well for this goal. Use choropleth map charts where you can click on different regions, or interactive line charts that allow readers to isolate different data points.

Explore

Find The Right Infographic Template

STEP 4

If you’re someone who doesn’t have a lot (or any) design experience, a blank canvas can be intimidating. Where should you even start?

Now that you have your data collected and you know what kinds of charts you want to use, you can narrow down your search for the perfect infographic template.

(Keep in mind: even if you don’t find an infographic template that perfectly fits your information, you can personalize a template to suit your specific needs.)

There are 6 basic types of infographics. The type of infographic you choose to create will depend on your topic and ICCORE goals.

1. Statistical Infographic

If you want the focus of your infographic to be data, a statistical infographic template will showcase that. Statistical infographics are perfect for visualizing survey data, study findings, and other data-rich topics.

While other types of infographics may follow include more narrative copy, statistical infographics let the data tell the story.

Statistical infographic designs use plenty of charts, graphs, and text that highlights numbers and percentages. Charts should be clearly labelled and key numbers and statistics should be emphasized using color and bold fonts.

Take this infographic template that uses a combination of different charts, pictograms, and big fonts to highlight important data:

2. Informational Infographic

Informational infographics are used to convey text-based information. They’re perfect for explaining specialized concepts or for sharing tips and strategies that readers can follow.

They often follow a narrative structure of beginning, middle and end, using icons, images, and simple charts complement information. There should be a clear hierarchy of information, with descriptive section headers.

Here’s an example of an informational infographic template that uses a number icons and a connecting line to guide the eye from one point to the next.

Numbering your points will encourage people to keep reading to the end.

Comparison infographics compare and contrast two different sets or “types” of information (objects, brands, places, categories, versions, theories, etc.). They can be used to compare similarities and differences, pros and cons, and different options.

This type of infographic template works well for comparing products, test results, and experiences.

Typically, a comparison infographic is divided into two columns. There should be a central question or choice readers are asked to make.

Take this comparison infographic template that compares product information between iPhone 6S with the Galaxy S7:

Timeline infographics visualize the passage of time. They’re ideal for when you want to show the history of something, or to depict a process that happens within a specific timeframe.

Timelines infographic templates typically use a central line with different points in time branching off from it. Points in time should be clearly labelled, with some descriptive text, and with an icon or image to visualize key information.

Here is a timeline infographic template that uses icons to visualize each major event.

Colors serve both an aesthetic purpose and a practical purpose in infographic design.

In an infographic, colors make information easier to read. They can be used in charts to highlight and differentiate between data points. They can also be used to emphasize important text.

The #1 thing to keep in mind when picking colors for your infographic is that the colors should not distract from or skew the information.

Colors also help convey a certain mood or emotion. You should take care to pick colors that help tell the story you want to visualize.

Picking Colors For Your Infographics

Here are some best practices for picking colors for your infographic design:

Use Complementary and Contrasting Colors

Remember, the most important part of your infographic is the information. If your color scheme makes it difficult to read your information, readers will probably miss information.

As a rule of thumb, only use light text on a dark background and dark text on a light background. Otherwise, your text will be difficult to read.

Color Text So it is Legible

Use Tints and Shades to Differentiate Chart Values

When creating charts for your infographic, pick one color and then use different shades of that color for different chart values.

For example, this chart starts with a dark blue (#17374F) and then uses progressively lighter shades of that color in a clockwise rotation. The result is a graph that is easy to read with clearly differentiated values.

Whatever color you choose, make sure it’s appropriate for the tone you’re trying to convey with your infographic.

For example, take this infographic about Movember. The infographic has a bright and vibrant color scheme that engages readers. After all, while the illness is certainly not a happy matter, the campaign is meant to bring people together to have fun while supporting an important cause.

As a rule of thumb, it’s best to use a maximum of 3 different font types in one infographic. Using too many different font types will make your design look cluttered.

A good model to follow when picking fonts:

One for the title/header

A second for body text

A third for flavor

Decorative fonts should only be used for the title, since they can be more difficult to read than a simpler font.

Pick Fonts That Reflect Mood and Style

Serif fonts have a classic, fancy feel because of the embellishments on the letters.

Meanwhile, Sans Serif fonts feel more modern and sleek, without embellishments.

For examples, say you’re creating an infographic about the advantages of taking online courses. Here’s what the infographic looks like with classic Serif font:

The fonts aren’t necessarily bad but they make you think of traditional print. They don’t make the most sense for the information in this infographic.

Now, here’s what the infographic looks like with a modern Sans Serif font:

The second one makes more sense, doesn’t it?

The title of the infographic pairs a decorative font (Aldrich) with a simple, functional font (Source Sans Pro). The same decorative font is used for the section headers, but the body text uses another functional font (Varela Round).

The result is legible text and a sleek, organized design.

Another important point to keep in mind:

If your infographic is going to be distributed both online and in print, make sure to test print your infographic before finalizing the design. Often, fonts won’t look as good in print as they do on a screen.

Picking Icons For Your Infographics

Icons are the perfect design tool for infographics. An icon can communicate a concept in one small graphic that doesn’t take up much real estate on your infographic.

Icons can be used to enforce points, replace text, and show data.

Here are 6 tips for using icons in your infographic:

1. Pair Icons With Labels

Icons can be used to replace text in cases where the meaning is obvious (for example, using a Facebook icon instead of writing out the word Facebook). But sometimes simply using an icon is too vague. In those cases, pair icons with labels.

For example, look at what this infographic looks like with and without labels accompanying the icons:

The first version makes it unclear what each point is exactly. The icons give you a hint but no specifics. But the second version is perfectly clear.

2. Give Icons Backgrounds

A circular or square background can help icons pop. Drawing the eye to icons can help ensure that readers don’t miss important information.

Look at both versions of this infographic. One version uses icons without a background and the other uses colorful backgrounds to make the icons pop:

Both versions of the infographic work but the second version has a bit more going on. The backgrounds offer a splash of vibrant color on an otherwise neutral color scheme.

3. Use Icons With a Consistent Style

Generally, pick either uni-colored icons or multi-colored icons but don’t use both in the same infographic design. Similarly, pick either line art icons or filled-in icons.

When you mix too many different design styles, you can end up with a Frankenstein infographic.

Take a look at both versions of this infographic:

The first version uses three distinct icon styles. The result is a design that is cluttered and distracting. But the second version uses only black line art icons, making for a consistent design.

Simple line art icons are also better suited to a pastel color scheme. Icons with bold colors clash with the pastels. Keep the color scheme of your infographic in mind when picking what style of icons to use.

Adding some colored accents to an infographic can make important pieces of information stand out.

But if the icons clash with the rest of the colors on your infographic, your design is going to look cluttered. The colors of the icons you use should be cohesive with the rest of your infographic design.

For example, it wouldn’t make sense to use some icons that are colorful and others that are not, like in the first version of this infographic:

4. Use Colored Icons Sparingly

The colorful icons in the first version of the infographic look out of place, since the rest of the text, icons and charts are white and grey. The second version of the infographic uses only white icons that fit cohesively into the design.

This infographic, on the other hand, has a bold and bright color scheme. The vibrant icons work well in the context of this infographic design:

Icons can anchor and enforce specific points on an infographic. They can be used in the same way that bullet points on a list are used while offering added meaning.

Which version of this infographic do you think is more engaging?

5. Use icons to organize information

Probably the second one, right?

The second version uses icons to not only anchor each point but also to enforce the meaning. While the first version offers the same information, it’s boring compared to the more visually-engaging second version.

Sizing your icons uniformly can be the difference between a clean, professional design and a cluttered, amateur design.

Which version of this infographic looks better to you?

6. Use consistent icon sizes

The uneven icons in the first version are distracting, right?

Just like the rest of your infographic design, icons should help make the information easier to understand. Icons should not distract from the information.

Picking Images For Your Infographic

Let’s talk about stock photos.

The fact is, a lot of small businesses, solopreneurs, educators and nonprofits don’t have the budget to take their own high quality photos. So they resort to using stock photos.

But keep this in mind: just because you use stock photos, doesn’t mean you have to use cheesy stock photos.

You know the ones. They populate too many business blogs, home pages, and corporate manuals. Readers can identify a cheesy stock photo immediately and the response is usually to lose interest.

Add a Color Filter

Overlay a colored filter on images to make them match the color scheme of your infographic. You can either cover the entire image or use a shape to cover a portion of the image.

Here’s an example of an infographic that uses blue and yellow color filters to integrate photos into the design:

Use Image Frames

Rarely will you want to include an entire image in an infographic. More often, you will probably only want to use a portion of an image.

Sourcing the information you include in your infographic is important. But if you try to fit 10+ sources into the footer, your infographic can end up looking this:

DON’T: Overload Your Sources Sections

That list is longer than The Odyssey.

If your infographic pulls from more than 5 sources, then you might want to consolidate them on a citation page and link to that page in your infographic. Or if your infographic summarizes a blog post, simply cite the url to the full post, where they can get the list of sources.